Before we start, just to set the mood about the hardship faced by some members of Congress, click “play” on the appropriate background music:

That’s more like it.

Tanking an economy and burying future generations in crippling debt and can be hard, thankless work, and Rep. Jim Moran (D-estitute) thinks it’s time Congress was appreciated for their efforts:

Democratic Rep. Jim Moran is taking up the cause of underpaid members of Congress, saying their six-figure salaries are insufficient to cover the cost of living in Washington, D.C.

“I think that the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid,” Moran told Roll Call. “And you know, I understand that it’s widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world, and a lot of members can’t even afford to live decently when they’re at their job in Washington.”

The current salary for a member of Congress is $174,000 a year. Moran noted that members’ pay has been frozen at that level for the past three years, and Congress plans to extend a fourth year.

Get out the tiny violins. Congressional pay has been frozen at $174,000 for three years, but what’s happened in the private sector?

When Moran announced his retirement, Terry McAuliffe called him “a voice for so many who are often left on the margins of our society.” Yeah, like Congress.